A psychotherapist shares the 5 mental strengths you need to be successful at anything: ‘Most people aren’t there yet’

21 Aug A psychotherapist shares the 5 mental strengths you need to be successful at anything: ‘Most people aren’t there yet’

There are many things we can all do to be happy and successful. And in fact, what I need to do might be different to what you need to do.

At the same time, however, there are some common strategies, some strengths we could all benefit from, and this article outlines some great ones that would be useful and helpful for every single one of us …

via CNBC by Jody Michael

When we want to become more physically fit, we work our bodies, sometimes concentrating on specific muscles, such as our biceps or quads. We can do the same with our mental fitness.

In my 25-plus years of research as a psychotherapist, I’ve found that there are five main mental muscles that all work together to help us increase our emotional intelligence, respond to situations with more resilience, build stronger interpersonal relationships, and thrive in all parts of life.

While a good amount of successful people have already mastered these muscles, most people aren’t there yet:

Chart: The 5 muscles of mental fitness

The 5 Mental Muscles You Need to Succeed in LifeCNBC Make It

1. Accountability

You’d be surprised at how many people incorrectly think they’ve already mastered this one. Personal accountability doesn’t have to do with everyday actions like showing up for work or taking your kids to baseball practice on time.

It functions on a much more radical level:

• You stop blaming other people and circumstances for how you feel or for what has happened.
• You fully own your part in your results, even while recognizing other potential contributors to what has unfolded.
• You own exactly what’s yours and you hold others to owning what’s theirs.

2. Helpful beliefs

Most of us think that our beliefs are truths. But they are actually a set of assumptions, which means that we can experiment with them. We can probe them, challenge them and try to think of new ones.

Here are some helpful lenses to adopt:

• Collaborative lens: This is the “I win when you win” approach. Maybe everyone doesn’t get everything they want, but they all walk away feeling heard and included.
• Possibility lens: This lens allows you to take a step back and temporarily set aside all perceived obstacles, problems or doubts in order to give yourself the freedom to imagine an ideal outcome.
• Opportunity lens: Even in times of conflict, you can ask yourself, “How can I find an opportunity in whatever situation I face?”

… keep reading the full & original article HERE